Mail holder for mailboxes



Sept. 1, 1953 F. H. RUBE'SCH 2,550,756

MAIL HOLDER FOR MAILBOXES Filed on. 22, 1951 I INVENTOR.

I BY MW FM I I 1 22 I Frank H. Rubesc/r Patented Sept. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAIL HOLDER FOR MAILBOXES Frank H. Rubesch, Jim Falls, Wis.

Application October 22, 1951, Serial No. 252,513

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rural mailboxes and has reference in particular to simple and practical means which, when properly installed in the box just inwardly of the door-closed-entrance provides a highly satisfactory holder for outgoing mail such as postal cards, letters and the like, whereby to greatly aid the mail carrier in getting mail out of the box with a minimum loss of time and patience.

It is a matter of common knowledge that letter clips and so-called holder attachments for use in mailboxes are not new. In the prior art, one will find many and varied examples of structurally differing letter holders. With a view toward advancing the art and providing a practical mail holder which is destined to receive widespread endorsement, it is the obvious object of the instant invention to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon similarly devised holders and, in so doing, to provide one in which both manufacturers and users will find their respective requirements and needs aptly met.

In an effort to achieve this ultimate aim, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises three essential units or parts; namely, a sturdy U-shaped fixture which is bolted to the box, a smaller U-shaped bracket which is aifixed to the bight portion of the fixture, and a bow spring of non-corrosive metal whose central portion is saddled in the bracket and whose end portions engage opposed inner faces of the limbs of the U-shaped fixture, whereby to provide relatively fixed and movable grips for convenient appropriation and use.

Novelty is predicated on the U-shaped fixture Which is sulficiently strong and durable that it will satisfactorily mount the spring and bracket and will protect the same against easy or ready damage from larger and heavier parcels as they are placed in or moved from the box, said fixture being unique in that it is provided with an attaching cleat and has the free terminal ends of its arms or limbs convex to facilitate piloting letters and postal cards into suspended and retained positions.

Then, too, novelty has to do with a simple U- shaped bracket which is bolted within the confines of the U-shaped fixture and which provides an ideal accommodation for the spring, and permits the opposite end portions of the spring to both serve as useful letter grips.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional rural free delivery mailbox and showing the invention, on a small scale, in its operative position in said box;

Figure 2 is a view on a suitably enlarged scale also showing the mail holder in the box with the box fragmentarily appearing in section and with the units or components of the holder appearing in elevation;

Figure 3 is a section taken approximately on the vertical line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the over-all attachment removed from the box.

It is believed that the complete device and components thereof can perhaps best be interpreted by making reference to Figure 4, wherein the aforementioned inverted U-shaped fixture is denoted by the numeral 6. This is a comparatively sturdy metal part or unit and includes a curvate or central bight portion 8 and a pair of laterally disposed spaced parallel limbs Ill and 12. The marginal edge portions are rolled or formed into beads M for simplification of construction and obvious durability. As before stated, it is important that this part 6 be strong because it will be bumped and struck many times by the insertion and removal of larger parcels and packages. Suitably fastened to the bight portion is a curvilinear cleat it having projecting end portions l8| 8 to accommodate nut-equipped fastenings or bolts 20-40 as shown in Figure 2.

It is obvious that the limbs IE] and I2 constitute relatively stationary or fixed jaws or grips as they are sometimes referred to. It will be noticed, too, that the free terminal end portions 22-22 are appropriately convexed or rounded off to assist in piloting letters and postal cards into suspended and appropriately held positions, as shown in the drawings.

The next significant part or unit is denoted by the numeral 24 and this takes the form of a U-shaped bracket or stirrup, as it is sometimes thought of. As shown in Figure 3, this has a bight portion 26 and arms or limb portions 2B28 with laterally bent terminals or ends 3% secured in place by headed fastenings 32 including assembling and retaining nuts 34. These ends 30-30 are bolted, obviously, to the bight portion 8 of the main fixture. The U-shaped bracket is much smaller than the fixture and is guarded and shielded within the confines of the latter. Its obvious purpose is to accommodate the simple bowed or flexed flat spring 36. This has its central portion saddled in the bracket and assembled and held therein by a rivet or pin 31' (see Figure 3). With the central portion of the spring saddled and riveted in the bracket, the end portions are flexed and curved against the opposed inner faces of the grips 22-22 whereby to provide additional resilient grips 38-38. The terminals of the grips 38 have yielding and wiping contact with the grips or jaws 22-22 and they provide natural upcu'rved gripping holders for the articles which are inserted and held, namely, postal cards, letters and the like. As far as is known, placing a bowed or curved fiat spring between relatively rigid grips on a U-shaped fixture and suspending the intermediate portion of the fixture by means of an appropriate character to provide the general setup shown in Figure 4, appears to be novel in mailbox mail holding attachments.

The device being of the utmost in simplicity and readily understandable as to construction, is such that a more extended and elaborate description of structure or usages seems unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention, what as new is:

1. For use in a rural free delivery mailbox or is claimed the like, an inverted U-shaped fixture adapted to be anchored in the mailbox at a point of vantage, said fixture embodying a bight portion and spaced parallel lateral limb portions, a curvilinear flat spring located between the opposed faces of said limbs and having its free terminal ends in yieldable gripping relation in respect to said limbs, and a stirrup-like mounting for said spring embodying a U-shaped bracket smaller than said U-shaped fixture and including a bight portion and arms with said arms having their free ends attached to the bight portion of said U-shaped fixture, the central portion of said spring being separably attached to the night portion of said U-shaped bracket.

2. The structure specified in claim 1 wherein the bight portion of said U-shaped fixture is channel shaped in cross-section, and a cleat fixed to said last-named bight portion for conveniently mounting said fixture in the stated mailbox.

FRANK H. RUBESCH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 684,439 Kyle Oct. 15, 1901 1,800,109 Selig Apr. '7, 1931 

